Pucher is too ill

Trial marathon starts without the main culprit

The Commerzialbank case: ten days of hearings are scheduled at the Eisenstadt Regional Court from Tuesday. Martin Pucher, the mastermind behind the multi-million bankruptcy, has to "take a break" - the 68-year-old from Burgenland is not fit to stand trial. 

Will Martin Pucher sit at home today and follow the start of the trial at Eisenstadt Regional Court in detail via live ticker? Or does the man responsible for the bankruptcy of his Commerzialbank Mattersburg, which caused losses of more than 600 million euros in 2020, not care anyway? Does he pick up the phone in the evening when his lawyer wants to inform him about the progress of the trial?

In any case, the man is likely to be incapacitated in the event of a conviction - so what's the point?

Postponed is not canceled
According to an expert opinion, the 68-year-old is unable to sit in the dock for health reasons and answer for the bankruptcy that led to a financial disaster for hundreds of customers. The proceedings against the man from Burgenland will therefore only begin if he is fit to stand trial at a later date. He will therefore not be judged in his absence when the case now involves damages of 70 million euros.

Everything humbly signed
Others, of course, will have to appear, including the then bank director Franziska Klikovits, who had to approve the malversations of Commerzialbank on behalf of her boss and did so meticulously, as she confirmed in the first trial. At that time, she and Pucher were sentenced to eight and eleven months respectively.

Now it is a matter of serious commercial fraud, breach of trust, fraudulent crida, balance sheet falsification, money laundering and corruption.

In addition to Klikovits, three entrepreneurs have been charged with issuing fictitious invoices and receiving embezzled funds from the bank.

Judge Karin Knöchl, who has been released for months for this marathon trial in order to familiarize herself with the complex matter, will be busy for at least ten trial days. The "Krone" will continue to report on the progress of the trial until the verdict.